Fiber pulley.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES RAPER THAME, on HOLOOMB VALLEY, CALIFORNIA.

FIBER PULLEY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 643,782, dated February20, 1906.

Application filed April 23, 1896. Renewed August 8, 1899. Serial No.726,598. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES RAPER THAME, a subject of the Queen of GreatBritain and Ireland, and a resident of Holcomb Valley, in the county ofSan Bernardino and State of California, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Fiber Pulleys; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description of my said invention,reference being had to the annexed drawings.

My improved pulley is composed of heavilycompressed fibrous material.The fiber which I use maybe the fiber of wood, bamboo, or

similar material, which is treated, as hereinafter described, so as tobecome elastic and at the same time sufficiently hard when put togetherin the condition hereinafter set forth to enable it to be worked bycutting-tools in a manner similar to the cutting of metal in a lathe.

I form the fibrous material into disks and rings by compressing it inmolds of the requisite shape and dimensions or cut them from sheets ofmillboard of the requisite thickness. These disks and rings I then soakin a bath of drying resin-oil mixed with from twentyfive to fifty percent. of colophony or other gum soluble in the said resin-oil. Thecompressed fibrous disks and rings are kept in this bath, which ismaintained at a temperature of about 200 Fahrenheit, until the liquidhas thoroughly saturated the fibrous material. The time necessary forthis saturation to take place varies with the degree of compression andthe nature of the raw fibrous material from which the disks or rings aremade. After the disks or rings have been treated with the aforesaidliquid it is preferable to keep them at a temperature from about 100 to140 Fahrenheit for a few days, this being arranged by placing them in aclosed stove or chamber wherein this temperature is kept up, after whichthe disks and rings are removed from the said stove or chamber and thenallowed to harden in the open air. In building up a pulley from theserings and disks I cement them together with shellac cement, ashereinafter more fully set forth.

Upon the annexed drawings, Figure 1 is an end elevation of a pulleyconstructed according to my said invention. Fig. 2 is a V61;

tical section of the same on the line b 1),

Fig. 1.

In constructing a pulley such as that shown at Figs. 1 and 2 I cementthe two disks A A together, as shown, with shellac cement. I next cementthe two rings B B in the same manner onto the other faces of the disks AA. In practice the rings and disks constructed as hereinbefore describedare usually from one-half to three-fourths of an inch or even one inchin thickness, according to the width of the pulley and the intensity orstress of the work intended to be done by the same, and where the workis unusually heavy I make the disks of even greater thickness. Afterhaving cemented the disks and rings together, as hereinbefore described,I then drill a series of holes to receive the rivets C all around thepulley, and which holes pass completely through the rings and disks ofwhich the pulley is composed. The pitch of the said holes may vary fromtwo to four inches or more, according to the diameter of the pulley andaccording to the extent of work or stress which the said pulley has totransmit. After said holes are drilled I insert into each a metallicround 'bar, one of which is passed through each of said holes and awasher placed over the same at the outer ends thereof. The outer endsare then riveted, as shown in the drawings, thus holding the rings anddisks fast together. By this means I insure that the component parts ofthe pulley cannot come asunder. After the parts of the pulley have beenthus put together each pulley of this form is next clamped to theface-plate of a lathe or the table of a boring-machine and the centralhole is bored to the finished standard size. The pulley next has holes Dbored through the disks, whose centers are on lines extending radiallyfrom the center of the shaft on which the pulley is to be fixed. Thepulley is sawed in two halves by a band-saw, as indicated by the lines EE, and then these two halves are clamped on a shaft or mandrel, so thatthe pulley can be again put into a lathe or other turning-machine. Theclamping device which I preferably use in connection with my presentinvention'consists of pieces of semicircular iron F, Figs. 1 and 2,which pieces of semicircular iron have a hole through each end thereofand pass through the holes D in the disks of the pulley. Through theholes in the ends of the semicircular pieces of iron F bolts G areplaced, as shown in Fig. 1, and by tightening the nuts on these boltsthe two halves of the pulleys are firmly clamped to the mandrel ordriving-shaft 11. After being thus tightened onto the mandrel ordriving-shaft the pulley is turned up on its periphery, either crownedor left flat, as the necessity of the case may require. The sides of therings B are then turned, and after receiving a coat of paint or varnishthe pulley is ready for the market.

In cutting the pulley in half I either cut it straight through or Isometimes divert the band-saw so as to leave a triangular projection onone half, which fits into a corresponding triangular recess in the otherhalf of the pulley, as shown by the dotted line X in Fig. 1, and I maydo this at either one or both sides of the pulley.

In cases where the work to be performed by the pulley is exceptionallyheavy or Where there is any probability of the pulley slipping on thedriving-shaft I employ an attachment I, Figs. 1 and 2, fixed to thepulley. This attachment consists of a steel pawl hung loosely on a boltJ, passing through the disks of the pulley and being pointed or formedwith a sharp edge at its forward part bearing against the shaft. It isthereby so arranged as to penetrate into the shaft in the direction ofthe said pulleys motion, thereby gripping more firmly onto the same.

Having now described my said invention and the best system, mode, ormanner I am at present acquainted with of carrying the same intopractical effect, I desire to observe in conclusion that what I considerto be novel and original, and therefore claim as the invention to besecured to me by Letters Pat cut, is as follows:

The process of constructing pulleys of ligneous fiber which consists incompressing the fiber into disks, rings or plates and saturating thesame by being soaked in resin-oil having from twenty-five to fifty percent. of colophony dissolved therein, the said disks, rings or platesafter removal from the resinous liquid, being maintained at atemperature of not less than 100 Fahrenheit, and not more than 200Fahrenheit, then cooled in the open air and cemented together by shellaccement, then riveted together by rivets passed through holes in the saidcemented disks, rings or plates, all substantially as hereinbeforedescribed and shown upon the annexed drawings.

Dated Los Angeles, California, November 7th, A. D. 1895.

JAMES RAPER THAME. Witnesses:

ST. JOHN DAY, II. S. ROLLINS.

